My Little Oasis

Fresh from our techno gadget shopping at Singapore Expo, it was time for my second favourite thing to shop for... plants!

A walking distance away from where we alighted at Tanah Merah MRT station, are two nurseries we normally frequent for our gardening needs.


The Katong Flower Shop did not have what I wanted after browsing its many beautiful array of plants.

We headed next to its neighbour, Chye Heng Orchid Garden along Simpang Bedok Road.


There, even before we entered its compounds, were rows and rows of Jasmine plants… the exact ones I was looking for!

We could smell its sweet fragrance from the blooming white flowers as we walked closer to look. The exact experience I wish to have in our garden!

All excited, Wifey and I still browsed the entire nursery, simply because we both love looking at the different kinds of blooms there, all healthy, under the expert care.

With the assistance of the helper there, he tagged along as we browsed and asked for his opinions on the best bet of plants that are hardy enough to survive under our amateurish care.


Knowledgeable as he was, it made it easier for us to finally narrow down to several types of plants that did not require much sunlight to survive.

The hot contenders were the Iron Tree, Yuka Tree and a few others, of which the long and complicated botanical names had escaped my mind as soon as I stepped out of the nursery, we settled for my favourite Murraya Jasmine and Fichus Tree.


We bought 6 pots of the flowering Jasmines and 1 pot of the decorative Fichus Tree.

The Jasmines replaced by the ailing Durantas, I repotted three each into the two, four by one feet planters. Those were placed right near the metal railing parapet where they receive the full two or three hours of morning sunlight each day.

The Fichus Tree took over the large terracotta pot we got from Ikea years back, from the overgrown Traveler’s Palm. We placed it at the inner part of the corridor where only the brightness of the sunlight is received.

The strategic location is to keep some privacy against prying eyes where our open door is visible from the lift landing. I like to keep the front door open on weekends to have the garden in plain view and fresh air circulating.

We were assured that the Fichus Tree needed just bright area without direct sunlight, along with the advice to water it once in a few days and fertilize it once every two weeks.


Unlike the Fichus Tree, the Jasmines need to be watered daily and fertilized once a week. The pink coloured liquid fertilizer works very well to encourage our Durantas to flowers, so Wifey wanted the same one for our new Jasmines.

I worked through the afternoon right after reaching home and into the early evening; intermittently getting help from Sonny and Wifey.


When I finally completed my garden makeover project, I was totally happy and satisfied by the way it all turned out. Mission accomplished!

Our family now has a brand new garden we could enjoy again. It will be even wonderful when the flowers actually bloom. It will be a spectacular view to enjoy and with it, the sweet fragrance that the flowers will give off that will be blown into our home!


I am hoping that that time will come soon enough and will be a repeatable occasion in our garden for us to enjoy. I know our next-door neighbours will enjoy too.

So, for now, with mine and Wifey's tender loving and care, we really are hoping that the plants will grow well and hardy against the mealy bugs infestation like what had happened to Durantas.

We are hoping that the sunbirds will once again come by to get their fill of the red berries the Jasmines will provide after every bloom and sing their gratefulness song to their hosts who truly enjoy their melodies.